Angry Prairie Rattlesnakes Get Stressed By a GoPro Video Camera

October 15, 2015

Michael Delaney was walking in a Montana field when he happened upon a prairie rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) nest. He was carrying a GoPro so he decided to put the GoPro where no man would stick his face, into the den of a bunch of venomous snakes. The footage is quite incredible, and at the 1:50 mark, one of the reptiles, who obviously didn’t want to be a hero that day, decided to strike at the obtrusion that was invading the space of the snakes.

Michael Delaney

A GoPro invaded this rattlesnake nest and they weren't happy at all.

The snakes are definitely pissed at the intruder, as the rattling never stopped, and as Delaney moves the GoPro around the nest of snakes, they aren’t too pleased. Two more rattlesnakes strike out at the action camera before it finally falls into the nest. The resulting point of view shows the Big Sky of Montana, some bushes and grasses and a bunch of the venomous snakes crawling about the camera. Delaney then fetches the camera with the hockey stick that he was using to balance the camera on. The video has gone viral in the last few days since Delaney posted it to YouTube, with close to 3 million views. So what do you think?

Prairie rattlesnakes are also known as the western rattlesnake and the Great Plains rattlesnake. They are native to the western United States as well as southwestern Canada and down into Mexico. They are small for rattlesnakes, growing to about 3 feet in length with the maximum recorded size at just under five feet in length. They hang out at rocky outcrops that serve as dens and are also known to live in burrows of other animals. They feed on small mammals such as prairie dogs and small rabbits, as well as mice, and rats. They are also known to feed on ground nesting birds and the occasional small lizard and amphibian.